The modern playground can be a pretty sterile, safety-first space, and there are lots of moves to add technology (smartphones of course) to try to get kids interacting socially, moving about more, thinking laterally, using their imaginations and problem-solving. (Remember Wellington’s “Magical Park”? or (maybe) Selwyn’s “smart playground” .)

And for Christchurch there’s an added motivation: “It’s important children are connected to nature so they felt empowered to create change in the face of environmental crises.” Read The Press’s article.

Make your city a startup hub: boost liveability by loving your old buildings and urban biking

He also quotes Gertrude Stein, saying that small independent businesses – especially outward-focussed ones like hospitality – make your town’s streets feel like it’s actually a place. Instead of “I’m here but it could be anywhere”, small independent businesses in Pittsburgh are “making there be a there here”.